Beckham
was born on October 22, 1911, near
Ardmore, Okla., and grew up in Denison. After serving in the Army
during World
War II, he attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where he
completed
a program in insurance management and underwriting. He was a partner
and later
owner of the Bruno-Beckham Insurance Agency in Denison.

Vernon
and Marie's daughter, Marie L. Beckham Tiner, wrote on Facebook : This
was my parents' home at 618 West Chestnut from 1961 to about 1973, when
they moved to Bastrop County. They sold the house around 1975.
The fireplaces and woodwork are magnificent. The house was
built by a judge [Nathaniel E. H. "Nat" Decker] in the 1890s.

North side of house, 618 West Chestnut Street. Photo by Tony Petersen. Used by
permission.

"He
always had time and would give to anyone
he could," said his grandson, Dale Dingley Jr. of Bastrop. "I think
that's what made him such a great legislator." Beckham was elected to
the
House five times from Grayson County, north of Dallas. He won
appropriations
for an airport and Grayson County Junior College. Beckham also passed
legislation that converted the birthplace of President Dwight D.
Eisenhower
into a state park in Denison.

—Excerpted
from an article in the Austin American
Statesman, written
February 24, 1998. For additional information, see biography of Marie
Hancock
Beckham.